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Ghana is far from attaining energy security status. The energy mix in Ghana comprises; traditional biomass (66.7%), crude oil/petroleum products (26.2%), and electricity (7.1%) mainly from large hydro plants. The existing energy insecurity dilemma, where demand for energy services is desperately needed for sustainable development leaves Ghana with no other option than to exploit its renewable energy resources. The study seeks to address three main research questions namely: (a) Are Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) technically and economically viable in Ghana?; (b) Can RE projects be self sustained in Ghana without continual external support?; (c) Can RETs be used as an engine for local development? Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in analyzing the issues raised. The four main RE resources identified in Ghana are biomass, solar, small hydro and wind energy. Detailed case study analysis for each resource was done for identification of technically and economically viable options. The study concludes with a strategy on the where, what, why and how to implement viable RE projects in Ghana and a ‘best policy’ recommendation for successful market diffusion of RETs. It proposes that RETs must be provided in forms that match the basic and economic self-reliance needs of the people and generated electricity should be tied directly to viable end-use activities.
The ever-increasing price of fossil diesel oil, its availability and affordability has prompted the search for cheaper sources of diesel fuel especially in rural Ghana where it could be used by small to medium scale processors. The aims of this project were to provide a readily available and renewable fuel that will serve as a diesel substitute: to power diesel engines running equipment in a shea butter extraction unit at Gbimsi, to provide a readily available fuel to serve as a kerosene substitute for lighting local lanterns, to evaluate the economic viability of the use of the bio-fuel as both diesel and kerosene substitutes. in Ghana. A pilot Jatropha plantation was established for the Gbimsi women’s group. A pilot processing unit was also established. The women were taken through series of training which included the extraction and utilization of Jatropha biofuel and soap making using the Jatropha oil. The Jatropha biofuel extracted by the women mixed with various amounts of mineral diesel oil was tested on lister-type diesel engines and in lanterns to ascertain its performance. A combination of 30% mineral diesel oil: 70% Jatropha bio-fuel was found to be appropriate for running the diesel engines. Local lanterns were found to give smokeless light and were found to last four times longer than kerosene when the Jatropha oil was used. In conclusion, the Jatropha biofuel helps in achieving energy security in communities that are otherwise inaccessible and constantly in search of regular supply of mineral fuels like diesel and kerosene. The press cake obtained after the oil extraction could be used as an organic fertilizer for improving soil fertility. Questionnaires were administered to ninety (90) shea butter producers and ten (10) exporters selected at random from the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Greater Accra regions of Ghana in order to gather information from the producers/users as well as exporters on the Knowledge, Attitude, Beliefs and Practices (KABP) of shea butter production, consumption and export. The outcome of the study suggested that shea butter export has increased tremendously over the past decade as a result of very high demand for the product from both the local and international markets. The existing and potential export maket for shea butter were identified to be Japan, United Kingdom, Netherlands and United States of America. In addition, the shea butter produced were evaluated for the quality characteristics as well as their storability in different storage (packaging) materials. These were conducted using standard analytical methods. The minimum quality requirement of shea butter for export are : Moisture (0.01-1.0%), Free fatty acid (3.5-4.0), acid value (1.0-10.0) and the product should not be dark in colour. The best packaging material used for the export of the product are metal drums and card boxes and the only constraint faced by the exporters is the cost of the packaging materials which is considered to be expensive. The producers in the studied communities treated shea butter as their main farming activity. In an attempt to investigate the changes in chemical and physical properties of shea butter during storage, various chemical and physical quality indices were monitored. A 3 x 4 x 4 factorial experimental design with storage condition [open air (28-34°C), tropical ambient (26-31°C) and refrigeration (4-7°C) conditions], packaging material (metal cans, polyethylene bags, plastic containers and calabash), storage time (0,1,2 and 3 months) as variables was performed. Changes in the chemical and physical properties of the butter were observed during storage of the product under the different storage conditions and packaging materials. Storage caused slight increases in moisture content (0.01-0.07%), free fatty acid (3.29-4.38%), acid value 6.55-8.20%), iodine value (59.86-60.06) and peroxide value (8.24-10.64 mEq/kg) within the three months storage period. Products stored under open air (28-34°C) conditions generally significantly (p<0.05) affected the chemical properties of the butter during storage whilst those stored under ambient (26-31°C) and refrigeration (4-7°C) conditions did not have significant (p<0.05) effect on the chemical properties. No wide variations in physical properties were noted for the products during storage under the different storage conditions and packaging materials. Shea butter can be stored using all the four different packaging materials studied. However, it is highly recommended that the products are kept under tropical ambient (26-31°C) and refrigeration conditions (4-7°C) during storage. The best condition for the storage of shea butter is refrigeration which maintains the quality of the product during prolonged stored periods. Storage of the shea butter under open air (28-34°C) conditions allows for oxidative and hydrolytic rancidity rendering the products unsuitable for consumption after long storage periods.
This study analyses corporate environmental performance in the manufacturing and mining sectors of Ghana within a framework of environmental governance. The research is premised on the fact that industry contributes to pollution, raw material depletion and natural resources use. Hence industry is equally expected to play a role in pollution reduction and minimisation of raw materials and natural resources usage. The study makes use of both quantitative and qualitative research approaches drawing on both primary and secondary sources of data. Through SWOT analysis, an evaluation of the regulatory framework governing environmental governance was carried out and new opportunities for effective environmental management espoused. In addition, the policy instruments available for environmental governance were thoroughly analysed and discussed in this research. Further, through comparative analysis the environmental initiatives of industries in the manufacturing sector were investigated on the basis of size and industry type. The study developed a model based on 22 indicators in 3 thematic areas namely (1) legal and regulatory compliance, (2) pollution control and resource conservation initiatives and (3) environmental planning and policy initiatives to evaluate corporate environmental performance in manufacturing industries. To quantify corporate environmental performance, a Likert-scale 1-5 was applied to assess performance in the 3 thematic areas mentioned. These scores were aggregated, averaged and analysed using Microsoft Excel software. A “Corporate Environmental Performance Perception (CEPPI) index” was developed to evaluate how different industries performed on key corporate environmental governance dimensions. The results among other things showed that in terms of size, Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) lagged behind large enterprises in their environmental performance. In terms of industry type however, “metal works” showed relatively low performance on the “CEPPI” scale. The findings were discussed and strategies to help enterprises that lag behind to improve their environmental performances were given. In addition to the above, the study further investigated the Corporate Social and Environmental responsibility (CSR) initiatives of the mining industry. Corporate social and environmental responsibility has been used as proxy measure of environmental performance by the mining industry. Among other things, the findings showed that CSR as “preached” by the mining companies was to some extent inconsistent with CSR as “perceived” by the mining communities. The evidence thus seems to suggest a lot more has to be done by the mining companies as well as local communities where these mining firms operate to achieve high environmental performance. The implications of this research in terms of what has to be done to improve environmental responsiveness of the mining companies were given. A comprehensive strategy, focussing on both voluntary codes and ‘command and control’ regulations, as well as a strategy for institutionalising environmental management culture in Ghana’s manufacturing and mining industries were provided.